Israel - Lot of 5 coins of 1 Lira 1958, 1962, 1963 - Graded

Israel - Lot of 5 coins of 1 Lira 1958, 1962, 1963 - Graded 1. Israel - 1 Lira 1958 - Hanukka Coin "Law is Light" - NGC MS 65The Menorah chosen for the first of the Hanukka coins first appeared on the coins of Mattathias Antigonus, the last of the kings of the Hasmonean dynasty, 37-46 BCE.Obverse:Face Value in Hebrew, "1 Israeli Lira". Below, the word "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic, the mint year 1958 and corresponding year 5719 in Hebrew characters.Reverse:A Menorah between two eight-pointed stars. The stars are similar to those appearing on Hasmonean coins in the period of Alexander Yannai. Beneath the Menorah the Hebrew inscription "Torah-Or" in accordance with the verse (Proverbs 6:23) "Commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light." 2. Israel - 1/2 Shekel ("Half-Shekel") Coin 5722-1962 - NGC PF 65The origin of the use of the "Half-Shekel" coin is to be found in the Bible, Exodus 30:11 -1 5."The Lord spoke unto Moses: When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel This they shall give… one half shekel The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel when they give an offering." The tax was equal for all, rich and poor, because every person is equal before G-d. Half a Shekel and not a whole Shekel signified that a person cannot obtain completeness alone.Today, on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Adar, known as "Shabbat Shekalim", the special "Shekalim" portion of the Torah is read. On the eve of Purim, the equivalent of a Half Shekel is donated in commemoration of the original Half Shekel Tax.In the year 5721-1961, the Bank of Israel issued a special Half-Shekel coin (Half of an Israeli Lira) which was legal tender in the State of Israel. Bearing a face value of Half an Israeli Lira, it became an appropriate coin with which to perform the commandment of commemoration of the "Half-Shekel".Obverse:Above, the word "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic, and the mint year "5722" in Hebrew characters (corresponding to 1962). In the center the face value "Half Israeli Lira" in Hebrew.Reverse:A raised reproduction of an ancient silver half-shekel with beaded rim from the third year of the First Jewish Revolt against the Romans 66-73 C.E. In the center of the ancient coin is a chalice. Above it are the two Hebrew letters for "Year 3" of the revolt 68 C.E., and around it, in ancient Hebrew letters, the Hebrew for a Half Shekel. 3. Israel - 1 Lira 1962 - Hanukka Lamp from Italy - Hanukka Coin - PCGS MS 66The fifth of the Hanukka coins has as its theme a Hanukkah lamp from the collection of the Bezalel National Museum in Jerusalem, an Italian bronze specimen of the 17th century. This type was common in the 15th century in North Africa and Sicily, and in the 18th century found its way as far as Poland, which proves once more how strongly Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora were linked together by cultural ties.Obverse:Inside a triangular incuse with curved sides, the inscription in three lines in Hebrew "1 Israeli Lira". Below, under a spiral pattern, the word "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic in two lines. Underneath again, the year "1962" and the Hebrew lettering for 5723.Reverse:Inside a triangular incuse with curved sides again, a decorated Hanukka lamp, seen from the front. Underneath, the inscription in Hebrew "Hanukkia from Italy, 17th century". 4. Israel - 1 Lira 1963 - Hanukka Lamp from North Africa - NGC MS 65 Hanukka Coin 5724-1963 The sixth of the Hanukka coins depicts a Hanukka lamp from 18th century North Africa. The original is part of the collection of the Bezalel National Museum. The elaborate style shows decorative elements of various architectural schools: Romanesque arches from southern Europe and Sicily, domes and rooftops inspired by Moslem culture and forms reminiscent of church windows. In this specimen, we see the interplay of cultures that dominated this region for many centuries.Obverse:Upon an incuse central panel, in the middle, the face value, in Hebrew, in three lines "1 Israeli Lira". Below, beneath a geometrical pattern, the word "Israel" in Hebrew and Arabic, in two lines and below, close to the lower border, the mint year " 1963" and the Hebrew lettering for 5724.Reverse:Upon an incuse central panel, the main part of a North African Hanukka lamp of the 18th century. Underneath, the inscription in Hebrew "Hanukka lamp from North Africa, 18th century".